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Stranger danger, opinions appreciated
Topic Started: 21 Apr 2013, 05:50 PM (469 Views)
willymac
GSD Lover
We have a 5 1/2 yr old gsd boy, Radar, that came to us as a rescue boy at 13 weeks of age, he was confiscated from a breeder along with all other puppies and adult dogs they had, this was his first experience of human contact, when he was removed from everything he knew. I feel that little bit of his history is important as we have been told on more than one occasion that it is vital for a puppy to be really well handled and socialised from a very early age.
Radar has never been good with people that he does not know, people terrify him, he has 9 trusted people in his life, this has never been a problem as we have just accepted it as part of who he is, its something we have tried overcoming in the past but with difficulty, there is no point in giving visitors treats etc as he is not interested in food from anybody not known to him, up until now he has been no problem as he ignored people and if they tried approaching him he would move away to what he considers to be a safe distance. If we walked past people he would either give them a wide circle, or rush past them. If we had visitors to the house he would either hide behind me and give evil looks to the visitor or he would take himself upstairs until they left.
However, things have changed. We moved house at xmas, we now live in a very secluded location, he still ignores people when we are out walking away from the house, he is happier to avoid and ignore them. At home though is a whole new story, a couple of weeks ago our neighbour came to the fence, not into the garden, and Radar ran at him, circling him and had all his teeth bared. A couple of weeks before that he done the same thing to another neighbour walking down the lane beside our house. I shouted at him to "leave it" (a command known to him) and he did back down, but not until about the third time of me saying it. I know that by shouting at him I am probably reinforcing his behaviour, he is barking and I am shouting, but I obviously need to get him to back off. He has not bitten, but I do not want to wait for him to do so before I act. If we have visitors to the house I shut him away now, for the safety of the visitor and for Radars own well being, he really is scared of people unknown to him and feels highly anxious while they are here. Like I said earlier we are very secluded, and he does not see many people approach the house, I am fine with him barking and letting me know people are here, but how do I get him to then let me take over the situation, I would like to emphasise that treats, even high value ones, are of no interest to him from anybody that he does not know, and he will not even take them from me when he is in a highly anxious state.
We have a dog behaviourist coming to see us on 30th april for a one on one consultation, and then ongoing if need be, so we are hopeful she will be able to give us some pointers, but I just thought it would be nice to call on the wealth of experience on here.
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sal
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GSD Annointed Member
This sort of situation is best dealt with in person. So well done for getting a behaviourist in. As long as his advice uses reward based positive training follow it to the letter and expect it to take some time to see results .
Whilst correct socialisation is important as a pup- I have had dogs come in at 12 having had barely any physical contact and turn out fine. It is very much the approach and input you have to the dog that's important.
Whilst waiting for your behaviourist try a dap collar and plug in, train radar to use a covered crate or under stairs cup oars filled with toys and chews so that he has a safe place. Ensure he is on a natural additive and grain free kibble or raw ( no bakers etc) make sure he gets plenty of exercise. Try rescue remedy for both of you and reaffirm basic commands like recall, down and leave with toy or treat rewards in a variety of settings. This will mentally stimulate him and help in situations like you have mentioned.
On another note I can't believe I've had polar 5.5 years!!
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willymac
GSD Lover
Hi Sal, thanks for reply, I have spent the past 24 hours wondering what cup oars are, then just twigged it cupboards lmao, I will look at the dap products and get them on order, never seen them before but have been having a read up and certainly seems worth a try. He is fed on a mixture of dried food, its a local product which has no additives, not sure about grain content though, but certainly no bakers. He has either a tin of tuna, or some chopped chicken, or grated cheese mixed in with his dried food. (I think actually he would prefer to live on yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, wondering if he is a veggie lol) I like the idea of going back to basics on his training, so we were doing that yesterday when we went out for our walk, and will carry on with that on a daily basis. Will let you know how it goes with behaviourist.
Is'nt it scary how quickly time goes, Polar has to be the most beautiful boy ever, and I am so glad that he found you. Would love to see a picture of him if you get a chance.
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sal
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GSD Annointed Member
Lol! Auto correct on my phone- drives me mad!!
If you pm me your email address I will send you some pics - I don't get on with photo bucket- he is still mad about lasagne🐶
Not sure if you remember he had got some out of your bin and still had an orange face a few weeks later when we got him. He loves Italian- pizza, pasta and ice cream lol!
He is getting on a bit now bless him but we ansolutely adore him he is such a character- sent Colin flying the other night by cantering circles round the lounge because he was going out for his walk lol!
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